Destined Battles: The End of Soul Edge
by S.D.I
Summary: With so many fighting over the evil sword, the option for some 20 alternate futures is open. Just my take on one of them.


Destined Battles: The End of Soul Edge

Disclaimer: Soul Calibur II and the majority of its cast are all the property of Namco.  I'm just another person messing with their characters in unofficial story.  Necrid is similarly owned by Todd McFlarne, who also owns Spawn.

AN: Yeah, we've all seen the destined battles, but I'm hoping this is somewhat different.  The destined battle stuff is mainly a staging for my focus really.  It's a fairly short one-shot story, but there may be a relatively in depth knowledge of the game required to understand what's going on.  However, I get the idea that if you're reading and maybe even writing fanfiction of Soul Calibur II, you have a decent knowledge of things. Some out there will note I'm not as well versed as I could be. 

Oh, and I realize my grammar's not the best…I'm sorry.

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Though hundreds of warriors sought the Soul Edge less than two dozen tracked the evil sword all the way to the cathedral, interestingly the place where it battled the Soul Calibur four years before.  The place stank indefinably; those attuned to such things could feel evil beginning to permeate the very walls.  Soul Edge was regaining its power, and if allowed to complete itself, might never be stopped...  The very fate of the world could rest upon who emerged victorious in the oncoming string of battles.

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Kilik and Xianghua, long time friends and allies, were torn apart by their disagreement on Soul Edge.  Friends turned into enemies for a time and sword clashed against staff.  
---  
A mutual friend who had forgotten them both, now pushed entirely by the desire for revenge found his target and attacked.  He caught the large golem Astaroth by surprise but failed to do a lot of damage with his initial attack.

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A woman of little modesty battled her undead father.  Two bizarre beings also did battle, one freakish and crawling armed with metal claws and the other more benign than his appearance might suggest, partly made of wood.

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Both Japanese warriors wanted to use the sword's power and it was only natural that they would contest each other.  Despite the ninja's skills at stealth, Mitsurugi heard her coming from a long ways off.

He knew of only one person looking for Soul Edge with the skill to move so quietly in a pile of rubble.  Hoping it was someone he didn't know he turned to look.  He was disappointed, as the one following behind him was indeed Taki.  
  


"You again?  I've had enough of you!"

Taki laughed, "Haven't you had enough?" before leaping down to confront the Samurai.

Mitsurugi glared at her darkly as he drew his sword, "I just said that woman!  You must go deaf when my mouth opens..."

Taki snorted disdainfully and attacked.

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The monster had put up a horrendous battle, changing its size and shape as it shifted its mass of bones into different configurations.  The damned thing had even tried to use her own sword and shield style against her!  The thing only died when she realized hacking and bludgeoning the bones comprising its form was useless and instead drove her holy sword deep into the enormous eye in its midsection.

As trying as the battle was, it couldn't compare to what would happen next.  
  
It was surely her sister standing there, back to her, but what was she doing here?  Well, might as well ask.  "Hey, sis, what are you doing here?"  
  
Turning to face her Sophitia answered, "I've thought about it, and I realize...I have to deal with this."

Cassandra forced a smile, she was sure her older sister was here to send her home, but she held out hope, "Then...we'll do it together?  I'm sure Soul Edge won't survive the two of us..."  
  
"No!  I want you to go home," Sophitia barked sharply.  Then she softened and continued, "Everyone is worried about you.  I'd...rather you were home safe."  

A stern expression again, "I'll force you if I have to."

"Sophitia..."

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Yunsung glared quietly at the small girl that had been intent on stopping him since they first met and learned about each others intent for the Soul Edge.  The nerve of her to tell him what he could or couldn't do, even worse was stooping to fighting him.  It had been a stalemate, the battle had been a frenzied whirl of attacks and blocks and dodges with only light attacks ever grazing either one.  Perhaps it was only that they were each reluctant to hurt the other that caused neither to win.  
  
Talim looked, if anything, apologetic.  She was double relieved on the inside however.  She'd managed to...slow Yunsung from making a terrible mistake and she hadn't hurt him, and not being knocked out herself was a good thing.  Maybe if she kept him distracted she'd tie down at least one problem for the others that wanted to destroy the sword.

"You'd just fight me again if I tried to get past, wouldn't you?"  
  
"I...I'd have to...I couldn't..." Talim started shakily.

"And I'd stop you if you tried to go on to destroy the sword," Yunsung said as he turned to look over the edge.

Talim nodded, then realizing he couldn't see her now, said "I'm sure you would..."  
  
Yunsung sighed and said "Stalemate then.  Either we sit here watching each other until something happens with Soul Edge, we fight until one or both of us passes out, or we both go home."

"I won't agree to go home!  I came to..."  
  
"Ah, you wouldn't trust me anyway.  And I'm not going home yet either."

Talim blinked as she saw a woman walking towards Yunsung's perch on the edge; somehow she hadn't seen her come in the room...  She was scantily dressed in a largely red outfit that nearly matched her heavily red hair.  As the new woman got within a few feet from Yunsung she took obvious care to move quietly.  Talim was just about to say something but the woman winked mischievously at her and prodded Yunsung with the blunt end of her weapon.  

Yunsung cried in surprise and scrambled to stay on solid ground.  Talim wouldn't have...  Seung Mina!  Ooh she was so obnoxious.  
  
"I finally found you.  Now go home.  And leave Soul Edge to me."

"No, no!  Let young people handle it," he retorted, "Don't you think Talim?"  
  
She was gone?  He guessed the Wind Priestess had capitalized on this and left him to deal with Mina.  
  
"Looks like your girlfriend left," Mina said smirking.  
  
Yunsung was about to deny the accusation, but switched tactics at the last minute, "She's looking to destroy Soul Edge!  Our country needs it!"  He started to charge further into the temple but Mina shoved her zabatou in front of him.  
  
"I said leave it to me.  This isn't a place for kids," she said, sounding deadly serious this time.  
  
"I don't think so," Yunsung growled as he drew his sword.

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There was a strong concentration of Soul Edge's energy around here... it was moving.  Talim had to check it out, any living thing with that much of Soul Edge's energy would have to be a threat...  suddenly a large green spiked creature leapt from a lower level, pulsing with energy  
  


Talim set into a battle stance with her elbow blades "What are you?"

The creature screamed something unintelligible and moved forward swinging its arms in a clear attempt to intimidate her.  
  
Talim backed up a few steps.  The creature was frightening and obviously under Soul Edge's influence, but it still looked somewhat human and something about its aura felt like there might be a dormant soul beneath the berserk creature "You're human, aren't you?"

It looked surprised for a fraction of a second, and then returned to its normal angry scowl.  Calling upon the very energy Soul Edge used to corrupt everything around it, Necrid formed his weapons and charged to crush the little wind priestess.

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Raphael Sorrel was almost certainly the man it came down to, for he found Soul Edge and its wielder Nightmare.  Apparently weakened from something or other, Nightmare stayed bowed in front of its monstrous weapon.  It heard the intruder coming and looked up.  Nightmare quietly put his human hand upon the hilt of the blade, but did not move.  
  
Raphael smirked, this would be an easy prize apparently, "You're too weak for that, aren't you?"  
  
Nightmare scowled, and in one fluid motion stood up and ripped the Soul Edge up out of the 2 and a half feet of stone it had been thrust into.  Enraged he screamed, "YOU...  WRETCHED, CONCEITED **_HUMAN_**!"

Raphael charged in to attack, he was able to land light blows upon the Azure Knight but failed to do much harm to the monstrosity.  His energy was leaving him quickly, the sheer size of Soul Edge in the form Nightmare used it in made it unstoppable in motion and the grand sweeping motions Nightmare used required enormous effort to dodge.  Just as things looked bleak, that Nightmare would finally connect with the monster blade and split him in half, splatter him, or maybe both, the Azure Knight doubled over and reeled backwards.  Soul Edge's eye darted every which way for a few seconds and then stopped.  The blade began to turn a dull blue-ish gray and once was completely changed in color, it shattered.

The weapon was indescribably powerful, it had existed for millennia, and now it had...simply shattered.

"What the hell just happened?" Raphael wasn't prone to such language, but it seemed warranted in the situation.

"Inferno...someone killed the essence of the blade"  Nightmare spoke now, his voice subtly different.

"So, without its source of power the blade could not sustain itself.  How aggravating, such potential in that weapon."  
  
Nightmare, no, Siegfried once again, looked up to glare at the noble, "I think you delude yourself concerning the strength of your will."  
  
Raphael crossed his arms, "I believe the point of whether or not Soul Edge can be controlled is moot now."

Neither noticed a figure shimmer into existence from Inferno's realm only to immediately vanish again.

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For those fighting it took them a while to realize that they could no longer feel Soul Edge, but slowly all the fighters began to gather in the ruined cathedral.

"Sophitia!  You destroyed Soul Edge?" Xianghua enthusiastically asked her friend.  
  
"No, I thought you did," Sophitia answered, "...Siegfried?"  
  
"Yes, I am myself again, but I wasn't the one to destroy the blade."

Sophitia moved down the list of people intending to destroy the sword, "Talim?"  
  
Talim shook her head, "I was fighting that creature...  Cassandra?"  
  
"Ah...she was with me," Sophitia interrupted before her sister could say anything.

"Wasn't me either, Cervantes just didn't die until Soul Edge did," Ivy said with disdain.

Mitsurugi entered carrying Taki's weapons; she herself was trying to keep up, limping pitifully along.  He'd hoped to claim Soul Edge in front of her, to rub his victory in her face, but now the other fighters were speaking of it already being destroyed.

Xianghua noticed the Soul Calibur embedded in the stone some 20 feet away.  Retrieving it she frowned.  "It's back from Inferno's lair..."

"Could Soul Calibur have poisoned Inferno or something?  Did it destroy Soul Edge finally?"  Kilik offered a theory  
  
"I don't think so, someone had to return it to this world, it would have stayed in the void if it did it alone..."

The small woman frowned, "It's asleep now...dormant, I guess it's not needed any more."

"What about the...others?  Could one of them be responsible?" Mitsurugi asked.

The others thought, maybe... the three other fighters, the strange ones with bizarre appearances and alien fighting styles... heard of in rumor and story, met briefly in fierce combat... would one of them have destroyed the sword?

"Kilik!  Xianghua!"  
  
The two addressed turned around to face the owner of the familiar voice.

  
Xianghua, fighting to keep her hopes from getting too high asked, "So...you, do you remember us now?"

She fidgeted as she awaited Maxi's answer and Kilik looked expectant himself.  
  
"Yes, I do.  I'm...ack!" He was cut short as the girl gave in to impulse and hugged him.

"Welcome back Maxi."

Talim smiled, looking up to the sky, "Everyone listen, please, just be quiet and...feel this place...there's something new."

Most of the others complied; maybe they could detect what it was the young girl was too.  The Cathedral had held an ominous feel of clashing power ever since the battle four years ago, but now there was something else to the feel...

And to all who listened closely, the soft music of a wind instrument echoed off the walls.  The only trace to be found of one who'd bravely quested to save two worlds.

Soul Edge was defeated, its slayer nowhere to be found.  He'd quietly left as soon as the deed was done, no time wasted waiting for thanks or even acknowledgement from those most affected by the weapon.  

Some would claim to have saved the world from the weapon, many would deny it ever existed; others would still look for the weapon, disbelieving its destruction.  

Soul Calibur may one day awaken and be wielded to battle new evil, or it may sleep forever.

The saying holds true, it is the quiet ones you need to keep an eye on.  The quiet ones... they change the world.  The loud ones just take the credit.

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AN 2: I don't know...was it tolerable?  Heh...  It's not great I know, but I like that ending for Soul Calibur II for some reason, and I've wondered about the other characters.  Oh, and can you tell that the Taki/Mitsurugi destined battle cut scene irks me?  Oh yeah, Link's owned by Nintendo, I didn't want to beat my use of him in too much.

~ Now Link has saved the day!  ~

FIN


End file.
